Android phones have been playing catch up with iPhone for years in terms of popularity — but Android’s powerful cameras could see iOS users make the switch.
Samsung S23 enables users to take high-resolution images of the moon zoomed in a hundred times, while the Google Pixel 7 removes photobombers in selfies.
iOS and google-powered devices have the same number of cameras, but Androids were early adopters of high-resolution sensors and lenses that provide zoom than its rival.
DailyMail.com has rounded up some of the craziest hidden features from the latest cell phones from Google and Samsung — and compared them to Apple to help you decide which is the best.
The latest Samsung S23 allows users to take high-resolution images of the moon zoomed in a hundred times
Samsung S23: Take a clear photo of the moon and snap another by saying ‘cheese’
Want to take a 100-times zoom picture of the moon? Samsung has your back – with a function that elicited a ‘wow’ from tech entrepreneur Elon Musk.
Highlighted by Twitter user and web producers Marquis Brownlees, the function uses multiple shots to add detail to the image.
Some have claimed that Samsung’s AI adds more detail to the photograph that is not there, but Samsung has in the past explained that the camera system uses several images to create the ‘zoomed in’ effect.
Using Samsung’s Expert RAW application, you can access Astrophotography and Astrohyperlapse for the best night sky photography.
The astrophotography mode uses advanced AI segmentation and multi-frame processing to get the best results out of the night sky.
The mode includes a sky guide that points out constellations and nebulae.
Samsung phones also let you trigger the camera with your voice – which is helpful for capturing group shots.
Open the Camera app, tap ‘Settings,’ then select ‘Shooting Methods.’
This allows you to capture pictures by saying ‘smile,’ ‘cheese,’ ‘capture’ or ‘shoot’ and works with either the front or rear camera.
Highlighted by Twitter user and web producers Marquis Brownlees, the function uses multiple shots to add detail to the image
Samsung released its new Galaxy S23 this month, which not only lets you zoom in on the moon but has voice controls to take pictures – all you need to say is ‘cheese’
Google Pixel 7: Remove photobombers from your selfies
Google’s Pixel phones have a function called ‘Magic Eraser’ that automatically highlights people in the background to let you remove them from your shots.
Just tap any photo in your library (it only works on images taken with a Pixel), and it will offer an option to ‘Remove People in the Background’ with the magic eraser icon.
(If it doesn’t, tap ‘Edit,’ then ‘Magic Eraser.’)
The app will automatically highlight people with a white outline, and you can tap to remove them – it’s not always perfect, though.
If you capture someone on a bicycle, for example, the system is prone to cutting out the person but leaving a ghostly bicycle behind.
There’s also a ‘camouflage’ option, in which you manually cover people with the background.
Google Pixel: Identify plants or animals automatically and activate stealth mode
Google’s Magic Eraser lets you remove people from your shots. With the Google Pixel 7, users can eliminate other people – but it is not able to remove objects just yet
Google’s Lens function lets you identify animals and plants just by taking a picture and searching its system
You can keep photos safe from prying eyes with the Google Pixel
The base model Pixel 7 has a polished aluminum frame and a camera bar around the back that houses two rear cameras
Google’s Lens app isn’t something the tech giant tends to shout about, but it has some seriously crazy features.
You can take pictures of animals and plants, and Google’s AI will identify them from your image.
DailyMail.com tested this with a small brown bird correctly identified as a Guinea Fowl, and if you focus on leaves or flowers, it’s pretty good at identifying plants too.
The app can also turn any text – a poster, a letter, a menu – into machine-readable text.
To access Lens, go to Modes in your Pixel’s camera, then activate it.
Google has your back if you’ve got some photos you don’t want to share with the world.
Hold your finger on the screen to take a photo directly into a Locked Folder on your phone, which can’t be opened without biometric authentication or a password.
A lock icon appears, and your next photo will go to the Locked Folder.
On Pixel 7 or Pixel 7 Pro, you can select where your photos go by long-pressing on the icon in the bottom right, which shows the last picture you took.
iPhone 14: Take cinema-style action shots while moving
Action mode lets you take shots while moving, creating a cinema-style gimbal effect (Apple)
Apple made it so that the iPhone 14’s Cinematic mode can now record in 4K and at 24 frames per second
The new iPhone 14 enables you to capture shots similar to ones in films where a ‘gimbal’ is used for a moving camera effect.
Action mode on iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models allows you to capture smooth hand-held video even when you’re moving a lot – with built-in stabilization.
To activate it, open the Camera app and swipe to video mode. Tap the ‘Action mode’ icon to turn it on, then tap the shutter to record your video.
Samsung’s latest crop of smartphones offers the capacity to record in 8K – a resolution 16 times sharper than Full HD.
Not only that, but it’s four times sharper than Ultra HD – four times sharper than almost all televisions you can buy.
So what’s the point? If you’re shooting in 8K (it refers to the nearly eight thousand pixels (7,680 by 4,320) horizontally, it offers you as a filmmaker the option to pan and crop more easily as you have ‘spare’ pixels on the screen.
Record a video while taking photos (iPhone 14)
QuickTake videos on the iPhone 14 let you record video without leaving Photo Mode
The latest iOS update lets you quick-record videos without switching out of Photo mode.
It works on devices including iPhone XS, iPhone XR, and later
Touch and hold the Shutter button, and the Camera begins recording a QuickTake video.
Release the button to stop recording or slide to the right to lock for a more extended recording.
Create animated loops (iPhone 14)
Apple’s Live Photos records what happens 1.5 seconds before and after your shot – this is ideal for capturing reluctant or fast-moving subjects.
Live Photos is enabled by default (you can see it’s on by the circular icon in the top right).
You can also turn photos into a video loop – or a ‘Bounce’ effect where it plays backward.
You can also enable a Long Exposure effect (similar to what’s possible on a DSLR camera) where fireworks become streaks across the sky.
To choose your effect, simply tap on the live photo icon and select Loop, Bounce or Long Exposure.
iPhone: Hide photos on the smartphone
There are plenty of reasons you might want to hide a photo on an iPhone – from buying a present for a partner to keeping images hidden from young children.
On iPhone, you can not only hide photos but also hide the folder you hide them in.
Open Photos, tap the photo you want to hide, then the three dots and ‘Hide,’ and select ‘Hide Photo.’
To hide the whole folder, go into Photos and toggle off ‘Show Hidden Album.’
